Subcontractors do
everything from providing translators for American soldiers to trucking
supplies into war zones, as well as building military bases and
providing security. But in footing the bill for all this work by a
network of companies, the U.S. government often doesn't know who it is
ultimately paying. And that can lead to fraud, shoddy work, or even
taxpayer funds ending up in the hands of enemy fighters.

A host of investigations underscore
the perils in the murky world of subcontracting with foreign firms, and
the difficulties in making sure taxpayer dollars are well spent. Among
the current and recent probes by the Pentagon, congressional panels, and
federal investigators:

Up to $300 million in subcontracts in Iraq and Kuwait were allegedly tainted by a Saudi-based subcontractor employee's kickback scheme;

Subcontracted security forces in Afghanistan are suspected of bribing both Taliban and Afghan government officials;

U.S. money for a
trash collection program in Iraq, administered by a bewildering array
of subcontractors, has allegedly ended up in the pockets of insurgents; and

Compounding the
abuses are the difficulties in holding companies accountable. The
Defense Department's management of contractors has been on the
non-partisan Government Accountability Office's "high risk" list since
1992, but the challenges are even greater when foreign companies are
working under a subcontract.

The Center for Public Integrity is a nonprofit organization dedicated
to producing original, responsible investigative journalism on issues
of public concern. The Center is non-partisan and non-advocacy. We are
committed to transparent and comprehensive reporting both in the United
States and around the world.

Further

With the toxic Bibi circus in town - cue talk of "tentacles of terror" - find hope in the extraordinary Combatants For Peace, a joint effort by weary Israeli and Palestinian veterans of violence who've laid down their guns to fight for peace. Led by a former IDF soldier and Fatah militant who both lost daughters to the conflict's "unrightable wrongs," they insist on the need to "hear what is painful" and talk to your 'enemies': "Partners for peace always exist. You only have to look for them."